Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aurangabad — With the Oct 23 election for the Aurangabad Graduates’ Constituency days away, a visible rupture has emerged within the Mahayuti alliance as senior Shiv Sena figures issued contradictory instructions on support for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidates, Times of India reported.
Senior Sena minister reverses withdrawal; another MLA defies party line
On Saturday, Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat performed a U-turn, announcing that his party would back NCP candidate Satish Chavan in the graduates’ constituency poll after earlier withdrawing support. Shirsat said assurances were received from the NCP leadership in Amravati that they would not back any candidate other than the officially endorsed Shiv Sena nominee in the Amravati Division Teachers’ Constituency, which had prompted his earlier decision, Times of India reported.
“Following their assurance, we have decided to vote for NCP candidate again in the Aurangabad Graduates’ Constituency poll,” Shirsat said, according to the report.
Within hours of Shirsat’s reversal, Abdul Sattar, Shiv Sena MLA from Sillod and former cabinet minister, contradicted the party position by publicly supporting rival NCP (SP) candidate Pratapsinh Patil. Sattar organised a meeting of party workers in Sillod to mobilise first-preference votes for Patil, the report added.
Background: teachers’ constituency dispute triggered the rift
The dispute that precipitated Shirsat’s initial withdrawal of support centred on the Amravati Division Teachers’ Constituency, where NCP MLC Sanjay Khodke and his wife, Amravati NCP MLA Sulbha Khodke, reportedly extended support to Vidarbha Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh candidate Dilip Kadu against the official Shiv Sena nominee, Kiran Sarnaik. That allegation prompted concern among Shiv Sena leaders about the NCP’s local commitments, according to the Times report.
The Aurangabad Graduates’ Constituency contest has become a triangular fight featuring:
- Satish Chavan (NCP)
- Pratapsinh Patil (NCP — Sharad Pawar faction/parallel group, reported as NCP (SP))
- Dilip Ghuge (Shiv Sena, UBT)
Times of India noted that the NCP camp had not issued an official response to Sattar’s public break from the party line as of Saturday evening.
Alliance tensions and local consequences
Party fragmentation in Aurangabad and neighbouring districts complicates a contest where graduates’ votes are often decided by organisation-level endorsements and preference transfers. The conflicting signals from Shiv Sena leaders — one publicly renewing support for the NCP candidate and another openly backing a rival NCP (SP) candidate — are likely to confuse voters and party workers on the ground, local political observers said in the report.
| Issue | Reported development |
|---|---|
| Withdrawal of support | Sanjay Shirsat initially withdrew backing for Satish Chavan over Amravati teachers’ row |
| Reversal | Shirsat reversed decision after assurances from NCP leadership in Amravati, said Times of India |
| Defiance | MLA Abdul Sattar organised support for Pratapsinh Patil despite party position |
Local activists and workers in Sillod and surrounding talukas are likely to be pulled in different directions in the final days of campaigning. For graduate constituency polls, where voters are dispersed and margins can be narrow, cohesive ground-level campaigning by party workers matters significantly.
Analysts say the episode also highlights friction within both the ruling alliance Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), where parallel NCP factions and differing Shiv Sena formations are contesting influence. The Oct 23 result will indicate how effectively party high commands can manage local disputes and present a united front.
The developments were reported by Times of India. No further official statements from the NCP on Sattar’s move were available in the report up to Saturday evening.
